A quieter Alta Badia village on our Corvara to Santa Croce day, at the foot of the Gran Risa.
Skied here
1,433 mForecast at 1600 m today: low / high, modelled snow depth, and new snow in the last 24 hours.
We've only skied through La Villa (Stern in German, La Ila in Ladin) on the Alta Badia day trip, so this is a short, researched page rather than a review.
The village sits in the middle of Alta Badia, between Corvara and Badia, at the bottom of the runs from Piz La Ila. One of them is the Gran Risa, the World Cup giant slalom slope; the red alongside it is a good alternative. Both are nice runs.
3 day routes from here, with how to start each one from La Villa.
From here: Up to Piz La Ila and across to Corvara to join the circuit.
The circuit around the Sella group, clockwise. It's our preferred direction: a bit steeper and faster than the green, though the difference isn't big. The long, wide red from the Pordoi side down to Plan Frataces, near Canazei, is one of the best runs of the day.
Start before 10:00 and cross the last pass before 15:30. That's the official advice, and missing a link means a long taxi ride home.
From here: Up to Piz La Ila and across to Corvara to join the circuit.
The same circuit the other way round, through the Città dei Sassi boulder field under the Sassolungo. The red down from Passo Sella to Plan Frataces is long, wide and scenic, with an amazing vibe.
Same timing as the orange: start before 10:00 and cross the last pass before 15:30.
From here: On the route: ski down from Piz La Ila, then on through the village towards Badia.
A nice, easy day trip with lots of blues. From Corvara, take the Col Alt gondola and ski down into the valley where many pistes meet: a good place to just ski and explore. Cross to Piz La Ila and take the red or the black down to La Villa (both are good), ski through towards Badia, then two gondola sections take you up to Santa Croce, the furthest point, by its pilgrimage church. Ski the same way back.
From Val Gardena, Corvara is half a Sella Ronda away, so count the time to get back over Passo Gardena.
Not sure La Villa is right? These villages share the same lift pass and link on skis.
Buses run up Val Badia from Brunico and from the Bressanone side. Most people drive or book a transfer from Innsbruck, Verona or Venice.